4 People Who Dared To Dream Big (And Won)

Posted on: 9th March 2016

In a world where everybody is trying to win, it's inevitable you'll face a lot of rejection. While it is disheartening to hear no after no, it's important to remember tenacity and vision are ultimately rewarded. Here are four people who dared to dream big, and won!

1. Richard Branson

Richard Branson is a classic 'rags to riches' story'. Born in Surrey, England, Branson dropped out of school at the age of 16. Rather than put him at a disadvantage, the decision led to the creation of Virgin Records. His various entrepreneurial ventures began in the music industry, and spread to other industries.

Eventually, Branson's tenacity made him a billionaire. The Virgin Group holds over 200 companies, including the very exciting Virgin Galactic, a space-tourism company. Aside from his incredible success, he is also known for his adventurous side and sporting achievements, including crossing the ocean in a hot air balloon.

2. J.K Rowling

Author of the phenomenally successful Harry Potter series, Joanne 'J.K' Rowling is another epic rage to riches scenario. A single mother trying to support her and her daughter on welfare, Rowling couldn't even afford a typewriter, let alone a computer. However, the idea for Harry Potter suddenly came to her while she was travelling by train from Manchester to London. She ran with it, and the resulting success made her a billionaire, as well as one of the most beloved authors in history.

3. Mark Zuckerberg

From struggling student to one of the richest men in the world, Mark Zuckerberg co-founded the social-networking website Facebook out of his college dorm room. After sensing interest from the public and potential for expansion, he left Harvard after his sophomore year to focus on the site. Good thing he did; the user base of Facebook has grown to more than 250 million people, making Zuckerberg a billionaire. Not only that, the beginnings of Facebook have been chronicled in the blockbuster film The Social Network.

4. Safra Catz

After slogging it out for 16 years at the software giant Oracle, Safra Catz became co-CEO of the company in September 2014, and is one of Larry Ellison's closest confidants. She's been rewarded for her incredible efforts with stock options, and is one of world's highest-paid female executives. Israeli-born and Boston-raised, Catz led Oracle's aggressive acquisition strategy, and played a significant part in closing over 85 acquisitions over the past five years. This helped cement Oracle's dominance in the world of enterprise technology.